National briefs

Greens leader
Bob Brown
has congratulated US billionaire
Warren Buffett
for adopting what is a long-held Greens policy to tax the “mega rich". Mr Buffett wrote that he paid almost $US7 million in income tax last year, which equated to a tax rate of only 17.4 per cent, compared with an average tax rate of 36 per cent paid by his less well-heeled office colleagues. “The Oracle of Omaha is calling for the same outcome as is Australian Greens’ policy," Mr Brown said yesterday. “The wealthy can pay a fair share of tax and the sun will still rise in the morning." Fleur Anderson

Parliament House in Canberra will be asked to cut its energy use by 10 per cent. The motion – which will be put to the lower house today after passing the Senate without objection – asks Parliament House to join the Do Something! energy efficiency campaign, which asks organisations to cut energy use or emissions by 10 per cent. Do Something! co-ordinator John Dee said Parliament spent $3 million a year on energy and a 10 per cent cut would save taxpayers $300,000 a year. “It would certainly be interesting if anyone voted against this as they would be voting to waste taxpayers’ dollars," he said. “This is a good opportunity for them to walk the talk". He said it should get support from all sides of Parliament because it was “direct action" like changing lighting. The motion will be put by Greens lower house member
Adam Bandt
. It was shepherded through the Senate by Greens Leader
Bob Brown
in June. Jason Murphy

The first six months of the new Australian Consumer Law’s mandatory reporting product safety requirement has netted the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission 911 mandatory reports triggering 40 product recalls. “Mandatory reporting has resulted in a significant improvement in product safety with the removal of hundreds of unsafe products from the marketplace," said ACCC deputy chairman Peter Kell. An equal number of reports – 40 per cent apiece – came from manufacturers and retailers. The remainder came from suppliers. Businesses must notify the ACCC within two days of becoming aware a product they supplied caused, or may have caused, serious injury, illness or death. Katie Walsh

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner wants submissions on the use of tax file numbers, in a review of TFN guidelines. Comments are due by September 15. Katie Walsh